Industrial Professional Articles

In the spotlight: Softing joins Emerson’s DeltaV Alliance Product Program and extends intelligent device management across the field to islands of devices and out to the enterprise to remote subject matter experts.

In order to even further increase system safety when handling magnesium, the light metal foundry Leichtmetallgießerei Handtmann has equipped four new die casting machines with the PROFINET diagnostics solution TH SCOPE and TH LINK by Softing Industrial Automation.

Even modern fieldbuses like PROFIBUS are unable to maintain their perfect post-installation condition indefinitely. Some “aging“ is inevitable and this could eventually lead to bus faults and costly production losses. These problems can be avoided by continuously monitoring the PROFIBUS networks. The Softing solution deployed at the Aschaffenburg paper mill delivers benefits that receive the “thumbs up” from its staff.

PROFINET standards for diagnostics and management are suited for acceptance testing and continuous monitoring of the network, along with functionality to carry out maintenance tasks. The premium car manufacturer Audi uses PROFINET for a wide range of communication control and maintenance diagnostics.

The safety of a plant is at risk if the data communication does not function reliably. A wastewater treatment plant in Colorado was looking for a replacement for problematic gateways. The live test from two different suppliers revealed significant differences.

Diagnosing problems with PROFINET networks and other TCP/IP-based Industrial Ethernet systems raises technological and organizational challenges. Issues span from routine checks of open networks through to complex technical troubleshooting of persistent faults, and require additional training within the enterprise.

Trends in process automation in recent years have been moving away from proprietary and analog communication technology, and towards the use of digital fieldbuses which have many advantages. One of the most important is the widely used  PROFIBUS  fieldbus  with  its  PROFIBUS  Process Automation  (PA)  application  profile.

A breakdown of the fieldbus communication system can quickly become very expensive, particularly if it causes unplanned downtime of complex machinery like paper manufacturing facilities. The PROFIBUS Monitor (BC-502-PB) diagnostics tool for the continuous monitoring of PROFIBUS networks supports the early detection of potential failures.

To fll the need for an implemented PROFINET interface in the automotive industry, Unglaube decided to integrate a PROFINET stack into their Data Matrix code reader system. The solution strengthens the company’s position in an important market, but also provides an excellent basis for future product innovations.

FOUNDATION™ fieldbus: Control in the Field helps Nicaragua achieve its aggressive renewable energy agenda.